I can grab one of these for around $4,000 Brand new { 2006} . Is that a good deal and would this bike pull me adequately { I weigh 240lbs and am about 6ft 6" tall} . I would like the ability to do at least 40-50 mph top speed. Also, how does the reverse work on this quad and why doesnt it have a backup kickstarter/pullstarter ? Seems kind of odd to not offer a backup system for starting, just in case the battery goes dead or the starter breaks...

It seems as though these 300 exs do not sell to well...are they unreliable or severly lacking in power/speed?

 

I'll be blunt, the reverse sucks. Having to reach over w/ your right hand to pull up on the lever is a terrible design and really is a pain when the engine is cold and it doesn't want to idle very well. If your coordinated enough you can do what I do and use your left heel to pull up and push down the lever so you can leave your hands on the bars.

A lot of sport quads don't have a backup to the battery. I'm guessing the reason being weight and cost. Pretty much impossible to put a recoil on the 300ex w/out extensive modifications.

We have two 300ex's in the family and they are a decent quad. The balloon tires make for a soft ride and they do have ok power. You may feel cramped on it though w/ your size. If your not trying to keep up w/ 450R's and Raptors, the power will be ok.

Reliabilty is definetely not a problem. The 300ex has been around since '93 and have a good track record.

 

I would have to agree with the guy above on the size factor... Being 6ft 6in it may be a little small, I would get on it yourself and see what you think..... However a 300ex is the toughtest bike I have ever seen, I beat the crap out of the ones I had and never had a problem.... On the bad side, the suspension is a bit lacking I upgraded with a 400ex conversion kit... If I were you I would just spend the extra money on the 400ex.

 

I second that.

 

I'm 5'9" and about 160 lbs. I just bought an '06 300ex for the same reason - it was $4,000 brand new. I can tell you that it works just fine for me, but a friend who is about 6'4" and maybe 270 got on it the other day. He dropped the suspension about 2 inches lower than I do just sitting on it. He said he felt very cramped trying to drive it as well.

If you have ridden one and can deal with its size, it is a great bike for trail riding. I love mine and have been very happy with it. But I would caution you to test drive one before buying. You are likely too big for this bike.

 

took everyones advice and just bought a 400ex....glad I did too! ...thanks for the help..

 

Congrats man! Enjoy it! And keep atleast right side up, haha.

 

Just for the record, the little 300EX is an absolutely superb little machine. Best tight trail quad of all time! They are as tough and reliable as the 400EX. Good thing they improved the reverse machanism for 07 though.

But........to small for you. This is a medium size quad that is a stepping stone for intermediate kids who can learn to shift, or a terminal choice for small adults. So the 400EX was a better choice for you!

Backup starters just add needless weight. Just pop start if you ever have a dead battery.

 

Definitely go for the 400. You're built for it and it's built for you. I had a 300 (yea, nice) but I just sold it and am now in the market for a 400 because my 300 was slow. I'm 5'9" and 135 lbs.